America should have avoided making black metal

[JewishPhysics]

Here's a shit load of shit (aka US bands listed in this thread) for reference:
Black Funeral
Averse Sefira
Profanatica / Havohej
Demoncy
Judas Iscariot
I Shalt Become
Absu
VON
Krieg

[scourge]

First tier
There isn't anything important to music among those nine. Nothing to offer music history here.

Second tier
There are some things important to black metal among those nine. Some significant additions to black metal here, but nothing that without which, like a man missing an eye or hand, would have impeded the black metal art.

Third tier
All are exemplary for American made black metal. In the neighborhood of twelve to fifteen albums among these nine is the extent of American contributions to black metal that are worth noticing. If we were tolerant people, we might find a couple of albums important to art overall.

[JewishPhysics]

Of those bands:
1) I'd immediately disregard Judas Iscariot; this band has contributed nothing
2) VON is only notable for influence
3) I find nothing of notable importance or quality from Krieg or Black Funeral
4) I Shalt Become, Absu, and Averse Sefira have all produced albums that are great on paper but don't stand out in practice
5) Demoncy, Profanatica, and Havohej have all produced albums of note but are limited by their simplicity, which is oddly also the source of their power

On the idea of Industrial as a path for American Metal bands: What would you say are bands that represent the closest analogues of what you're looking for?  You mentioned DBC and Butthole Surfers who aren't Industrial, and Ministry who are kind of mediocre.

[scourge]

Industrial is probably a poor genre term to use. See the futurist metal thread. That's a mostly undiscovered niche for North Americans to fill.

Ministry is to futurist metal as Venom was to...? Hellhammer was to black and death as Voivod is to...?

[JewishPhysics]

Industrial is probably a poor genre term to use. See the futurist metal thread. That's a mostly undiscovered niche for North Americans to fill.

I see.

Ministry is to futurist metal as Venom was to...? Hellhammer was to black and death as Voivod is to...?

Fuck, I thought I was finished with the SAT's.  This is fairly illuminating, though.  Ministry was too grounded much as Venom was too literal, and dumb.  Taking the basis of Ministry and processing it through the conceptual framework of Voivod, or some type of enmeshment of the two, might be interesting.

[Andrew]

1) I'd immediately disregard Judas Iscariot; this band has contributed nothing

Try giving Distant in Solitary Night another listen.  

(edited because I'm an idiot and was thinking of a different album)

[Vesupria]

First tier
There isn't anything important to music among those nine. Nothing to offer music history here.

Honestly, what does this even mean? Important to music, really?

[JewishPhysics]

Try giving Of Great Eternity another listen.

I appreciate your suggestion, but I won't be doing so.  If you have some reason for thinking enough of this album to recommend it, I suggest you just share your thoughts about it.

[Forbinator]

First tier
There isn't anything important to music among those nine. Nothing to offer music history here.

Honestly, what does this even mean? Important to music, really?

I second this question. The link further confuses things.

[in abyssia]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh0ihl7rm-Q

[in abyssia]

I like how Frost talks of the originality of the early 90s Greek scene. Lovely. Just lovely.

[ChapelOfTorment]

"Let's just make believe that Enthroned copied the story from Norway."

hahahaha holy shit. Though I guess just being a relentless Marduk imitation technically means that you're copying Sweden, but still.

[Andrew]

Try giving Of Great Eternity another listen.

I appreciate your suggestion, but I won't be doing so.  If you have some reason for thinking enough of this album to recommend it, I suggest you just share your thoughts about it.

Tune out most of the album.  Play it as background music if you have to.  Make most of the songs function as dissonance, building up to profound statements, like a long, arduous climb, but then you reach the top of the mountain.  And as with a climb up a mountain, as you progress upwards there will be moments when the view is fantastic, but it will still be arduous because you'll still be climbing.  "The Clear Moon, and the Glory of the Darkness" functions as basically the top of the mountain, the goal of the difficult climb that puts it into context and provides meaning.  "Portions of Eternity Too Great for the Eye of Man" plays a similar sort of role, maybe the integration of the experience after climbing back down.  

Edit: Actually I was thinking of Distant in Solitary Night!  I was going to recommend both albums but eventually decided this one was better and changed to this (or attempted to anyways).  Oh well, maybe I'm just seeing more than there is in the music because I'm an idiot and this proves it.

[Vesupria]

Perhaps I'm losing my cynicism as I grow older; but I don't think of any one of an idiot if they feel that sort of resonance with a piece of music, whether it strike the same chord with me or not.

[JewishPhysics]

Edit: Actually I was thinking of Distant in Solitary Night!  I was going to recommend both albums but eventually decided this one was better and changed to this (or attempted to anyways).  Oh well, maybe I'm just seeing more than there is in the music because I'm an idiot and this proves it.

That makes more sense, but I still never thought much of that album.  The only thing worthwhile from it is the reading of Blake.